Crannog

The National Monuments Service's description

On the E shore of rectangular Ardakillin Lough (dims c. 500m E-W; c. 350m N-S) close to the exit point of a W-E stream. The lake was much larger in the 19th century (dims c. 1.8km NE-SW; c. 350m NW-SE at NE to c. 600m NW-SE at SW), extending much further to the NE (1837 OS 6-inch map). This may have been an O'Conor stronghold also known as Lough Carrigeen with references from the 11th to the 15th century (Gormley 1989, 121-3), and is probably the find spot of numerous artifacts including a slave collar, a skull, and about 50 tons of animal bones during drainage operations in the 1840s (Whitfield 2000). At that time its upper stony level was surrounded by a stone wall, outside of which there were wooden piles. (Graves 1858-9, 131-2; Wood-Martin 1886, 236-9)
It is now an oval, flat-topped and grass-covered mound (dims of base 27m E-W; 20m N-S; dims of top 20m E-W; 13m N-S; H 2-3m) with a N-S trench (Wth of top 5.7m; D 0.5m to W; D 1.3m to E) cut through the top of the mound. Crannog (RO028-102----) is c. 210m to the N.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

Graves, Rev. J. 1858-9 What we learn from Wilde's catalogue of the antiquities in the museum of the Royal Irish Academy. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 5, 110-48.

Whitfield, N. 2001 A filigree panel and a coin from an Irish crannog at Alnwick Castle, with an appendix on the discovery of crannogs at Strokestown, Co. Roscommon. Journal of Irish Archaeology 10, 49-72.

Wood-Martin, W.G. 1886 (Reprint 1983) The lake dwellings of Ireland: or ancient lacustrine habitations of Erin, commonly called crannogs. Dublin. Hodges, Figgis and Co.

Gormley, M. (compiler) 1989 Tulsk parish in historic Maigh Aí. Aspects of its history and folklore. Author